Re: dont you hate it when parents dont tell off their kids who are rude/noisey/naught
see, i dont think this is so much about the little details like crumbs or touching things, as it is about parents who don't react when their child is acting out completely, because they dismiss it as "play" or "children being children". that excuse can't be used to cover all sorts of bad behaviour, guys- there's a limit to it.
it sounds like all the parents who've spoken up here do react and are raising lovely children and you are welcome to come over to ours with them anytime haha :p
but the rest of us who aren't parents DO know parents who just sit there and don't bother, and while as a parent y'all might be inclined to defend them, in some cases, you just can't. nor can you say that kids just act up sometimes and its because they're having a bad day. thats where the frustration comes in.
it is not our job to design our personal spaces around visiting kids, nor is it our job to discipline a child throwing a tantrum or running around screaming like a banshee while you sit on your behind and discuss fashion. i KNOW parents like that in my family. my parents, of all people, after having raised 3 children and babysat for at least 20 others, dread having said parents and children over. this is what happens: they range in age from 3 to 7. they physically run around the quite small 2-bedroom apartment chasing each other, screaming at the top of their lungs. they run into the kitchen where my mom is trying to organize dinner while their mom's just stand there, regardless of mom trying to maneuver hot dishes to and from the stove/oven, they remove books from shelves and tear pages out, the run into the bathroom, turn on the tap, and play with the water creating a huge mess everywhere, they drop things like dinky's on glass table tops. inevitably, a fight breaks out and someone gets hurt and they scream. that is the point when the parents take a break from conversation with my parents and go investigate. so my question is: wtf. that's not normal. its not a pleasant visit. it stresses EVERYONE out. i understand your children are banshees and you're having a hard time with them, but maybe its your fault for not teaching them normal human behaviour!
and its not just one visit- this happens at e*very single visit*. i'm not saying the parents aren't nice or loving, they absolutely are, but they SUCK at managing their children. if my parents had a huge yard they would have no issues with the kids going wild back there- but a two bedroom apartment is not suited to their antics and their parents need to work on getting them to behave in different situations. can you honestly say that isn't a fair request to make?